On the Nature of Gestalts, by Doctor Daniel Jackson
by Dragon of Dispair
Summary: Humans have cameras everywhere.


I dug this out of the depths of my filing system a few days ago. It was originally intended to be the prologue of a sequel to Replacement Roads that never really went anywhere (and I will not be posting any of the subsequent chapters of). I thought about, and ultimately decided to post it as a one-shot, rather than tacking it onto the end of Roads because I was really happy with the way that ended. This does not herald a miraculous return to writing Transformers fan fiction, just the result of some spring cleaning on my part. Still, hope people enjoy it.

**On the Nature of Gestalt Family Units and Their Purpose in Wartime, by Daniel Jackson**

December 2012:

As one, every Autobot reacted in some manner. Bumblebee slammed on his breaks driving Sam back from Mikaela's. Ironhide nearly transformed before he remembered where he was - the Lennox's garage. A training mission with the Aerialbots was interrupted by the five of them suddenly stopping and transforming, hovering in their primary forms. The twins both mis-stepped in their latest bout of sibling rivalry and fell on their afts. Wheeljack and Ratchet both cursed.

Prowl ceased his presentation to the new president, optics flickering distractedly. Busy, he ignored the humans attempting to get his attention as he shut off the internal security alert and contacted the one responsible for it, via the Autobots' secure communications. "Red Alert, report."

"I'm picking up an Autobot distress signal over an open channel," was Red Alert's brisk response, "It's garbled and the signal's weak, but he reports that he's under attack by Decepticons."

"Coordinates."

While Red Alert transmitted the coordinates - they seemed to be a location on planet, rather than in space - Optimus apologized to the president, vice-president and their attendants, explaining that there was an emergency.

"Decepticons?" The new president asked, a bit faint.

"An Autobot, under attack." Optimus somehow managed to both confirm and reassure.

Prowl was to busy to listen to the rest of what Prime said, or the president's response. "Silverbolt, can you carry one of the medics that far?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Ratchet," Prowl decided on, since Silverbolt hadn't indicated that there was one he couldn't carry.

"Of slagging course I'm going." The medic in question had already started gathering what spare parts he could carry in the storage compartment of his alt form - Silverbolt was big enough to carry him as a hummer.

"Once you have Ratchet, the five of you go and assist the Autobot."

"Wait. Wait!" Air Raid sounded petulant. "You're not sending backup with us?"

Prowl received the confirmation from Silverbolt that he had Ratchet and they were all en-route, even as he replied to Air Raid. "Those coordinates are outside any of the operational ranges of any allied human aircraft. And, as you are our only Autobot fliers, if you want Autobot backup, you will be depleting you energy stores to carry them."

Silverbolt could carry a single medic, but he was not a troop transport.

A sullen "Yes, sir" was Air Raid's response.

"I doubt we'd need backup anyway," Skydive cut into the channel, "Antarctica is the only continent that isn't really inhabited by humans. There are a few research stations, but I'm looking up their coordinates now and there aren't any very close to the location of the distress signal."

"Really?" Air Raid sounded excited, and he got several affirmative responses from various Autobots - Skydive, Perceptor, and Bumblebee - "Cool! Prime! Permission to go Superion on some Decepticon aft?"

Optimus addressed Silverbolt, though, to answer, "Use your judgement."

The Aerialbots had not needed backup against the two car-sized Decepticons that had followed the Autobot through the StarRoad Ring they now knew was in Antarctica. Two Autobots, Prowl should say, as when the seekers and Ratchet had gotten there, they'd discovered not just the still fighting gunner, but a mini-bot in stasis lock as well.

Silverbolt had indeed used his own judgement when it came to the deployment of Superion - the combiner form probably hadn't been necessary against Runabout and Runamuck, but the gestalt leader had judged that overkill had been worth indulging his team and strengthening their bonded purpose. Dirge and Thrust had shown up a few minutes after Runamuck had been dealt with, too. The Decepticon seekers had taken one look at the angry combiner and fled. Now they were all making their way to the ice-shelf and ocean where they would meet up with an aircraft carrier that would carry the exhausted Aerialbots, Ratchet, the two injured Autobots, a pet one had been carting around since Cybertron, the StarRoad Ring and it's control device back to the United States.

Prowl had had the dubious honor of still being in Washington DC days later when the president had gotten the report on the battle. Apparently, while the battle had been far enough away from the research stations that no humans had been in danger, there had been one station close enough to witness it.

So Prowl just calmly watched the man and his guards stomp up to him brandishing a photograph -

"What the FUCK is _this_ thing?"

- of Superion one of the scientists had taken.

_In light of the recent (though still classified) events in Antarctica, the wartime purpose of Gestalted family units, such as the Aerialbots, can be considered obvious. Superion - the Aerialbots - can be considered exemplar of this purpose. Other uses for such "combined" forms were apparently construction, certain types of search and rescue operations, and space exploration - five or six mechs, each specialized for a different deep space exploration task and who combined into a large interstellar transport while in transit._

_While I'm sure we all might have preferred being warned of this possibility, especially once the rest of the Aerialbots arrived here on Earth and an appearance by Superion was, perhaps inevitable, it should be noted that this never occurred to anyone as a possibility and thus never asked. According to Optimus Prime, it was rather hoped that it would never become an issue._

_He underestimated the Aerialbots, I think._

_Submitted by Doctor Daniel Jackson._


End file.
